Atomic T Tauri disk winds heated by ambipolar diffusion

II. Observational tests

¹ Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal
² CRAL/Observatoire de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5574, 9 avenue Charles André, 69561 St. Genis-Laval Cedex, France
³ Observatoire de Paris, DEMIRM, UMR 8540 du CNRS, 61 avenue de l'Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France
⁴ Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex, France
⁵ Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ap. 70-264, 04510 D. F., México

Corresponding author: P. J. V. Garcia, pgarcia@astro.up.pt

Received: 18 July 2001
Accepted: 2 August 2001

Abstract

Thermal and ionization structures of self-similar, magnetically-driven disk winds obtained in a companion paper (Garcia et al. [CITE]) are used to compute a series of jet synthetic observations. These include spatially resolved forbidden line emission maps, long-slit spectra, as well as line ratios. Line profiles and jet widths appear to be good tracers of the wind dynamics and collimation, whereas line ratios essentially trace gas excitation conditions. All the above diagnostics are confronted to observations of T Tauri star microjets. Convolution by the observing beam is shown to be essential for a meaningful test of the models. We find that jet widths and qualitative variations in line profiles with both distance and line tracers are well reproduced. A low-velocity [Oi] component is also obtained, originating from the disk wind base. However, this component is too weak, predicted maximum velocities are too high and electronic and total densities are too low. Denser and slower magnetized winds, launched from disks with warm chromospheres, might resolve these discrepancies.